Children need constant stimulation. Providing stimulating and fun activities provides children with the opportunity to explore their world in a safe environment.  Educational toys do not have to be expensive they just have to be well made.  Many educational toys can be made at home with ordinary household items.  Other educational toys should be brought or provided by a teacher or child day care center. 

Infants do more than just sleep and eat.  Research studies suggest that the mind of an infant is constantly growing.  As the mind expands, infants are observing all that is around them and learning from their environment.  During infancy, the most stimulating toys are made out of black and white.  Black and white mobiles can be hand made. Simply cut out circles and squares (you can use cardboard or sturdy paper). Use a marker to color simple patterns on the squares.   Tie the shapes to the end of a string and then hang them from the ceiling over your infant’s bed. As the infant grows, the feeling of touch will become important.  This is also the time that the child will be putting toys into his mouth. At this stage it is important to buy the educational toy from a store.  When choosing a toy make sure that the materials are non toxic (meaning that it can not harm the child if accidentally swallowed).  Parents should also make sure that there are no small buttons or pieces that the child can swallow and choke on.

Around twelve months of age, the infant will start to walk.  The best educational toys at this time are those that make sounds and encourage walking.  Some toys are on wheels and are made to encourage the child to walk along with the toys.  These types of toys have bright colors and make sounds when they are pushed.  Other toys include stuffed animals on wheels that can be pulled. The animals will bark, squeak, or yelp when pulled. An excellent outdoor walking toy is the bubble blower. It looks like a grass mower but blows bubbles when pushed.

As the child grows, it will become important to provide the child with educational toys that teach fine motor and manipulation skills.  An excellent first toy is one with plastic rings on a pole.  The child learns by attempting to put the rings onto the pole.  The process is continued until the child finally learns the skill.  Other educational toys include shapes on pegs that are put inside a cube with holes in it.   The child learns by figuring out what hole each shape fits into.

Older children need educational toys that teach basic reading and math skills.  These types of educational toys include board games and books.  Ordinary household items can be used to teach math.  Have your child group together stones, sticks, etc.  In this way you will be teaching your child how to add and subtract.

By providing your child with educational toys and activities; you are giving them an opportunity to learn basic life skills. Children who have educational toys are less bored and more likely to stay out of trouble.